Svetozar Galbur was furious when he heard about the treaty, but Leudora did not give up, attempting to reach him via every light projector in Tijana's possession. When she finally succeeded, she saw Despina Asenova and Sava stand beside him, as their projections flickered.

"You must accept the terms, Uncle," she said calmly, "We don't have a choice. The gravity-switchers will soon learn about the massacre I have organized, and will flock to the Serpent as their last hope. If he convinces them I am dangerous enough, they will not risk the continuation of the war. They want to win, but not to die. It is a perfect opportunity to start the negotiations."

"They will use this opportunity to seize power and kill us all. Don't you get it, Leu?" he spat out.

"They may try. It's up to us not to let them do it. We can't beat the Serpent's horrors on the battlefield, but we can defeat him in politics. If it comes to that, I will kill Dragomir Drašković for betraying my trust. That will horrify every gravity-switcher enough to recognize our strength and avoid us in the near future." Leudora wondered if she herself believed her words.

To her surprise, color drained from Svetozar's face, and concern replaced anger.

"Avoid Dragomir Drašković at all costs. Leave him out of this, Leudora."

"Why would I leave the most imminent threat to my people out of this?" she asked him, her eyes narrowing.

"He's not responsible for what he's become," Svetozar avoided her scrutinizing gaze, "Stay away from him. I can't explain. And do not try to invade my mind... I won't let you."

"I won't do that."

Sava stepped forward, ignoring Leudora's reply.

"Killing forty people to save one life... Isn't that wrong?" Sava's argument had a twisted logic to it. Why did Leudora think that her life and the lives of her people were more precious than those of others? The idea crossed her mind more often than she would have admitted. Those were not the people whom she valued above all else, but their culture. She would kill to preserve the legacy of her people, their way of life, their debates and their enhancements. Those gravity-switchers believed they had a right to destroy all she held dear, and Leudora proved them wrong.

"You could have spared at least some of them!" Sava shouted. She did not answer. Sava was right, but she did not think she was wrong.

"What's done is done! She did what she had to," Despina Asenova's hand rested on his shoulder. Leudora noticed a deep frown creasing Professor Asenova's beautiful features and dark smudges beneath her green eyes. She did not understand Leudora either.

"I killed them because I could. Not because I had to," Leudora said grimly, "I had the power to bring desolation. Now they will think twice, three times, five times... But they won't attack us because they can. They won't be sure any longer."

Sava's face went blank.

"Do you understand that you've become a monster, Leudora?"

Leudora's lips twisted. "Perfectly."

A week later Leudora Galbur was back in the Bucharest Fasma Sanctuary, strolling through the halls with stacks of light files and waiting for the delegates to arrive. It took her seven days to become the most feared Offcast alive – the Byzantine Basilisk. She wondered whether it was Drašković or the young survivor, Josip Duančić, who perpetuated the myth of her severity. Leudora did not care. What bothered her was the forced cooperation with the Serpent. Dragomir Drašković and Magister Blažetin had to convince Tomislav Drašković and Korina Lovren to listen to the Byzantine bloods. She suspected that they had done their part.

So had Leudora. As she had expected, Adeona fell into a frantic rage after hearing about Leudora's refusal to pay her any respects. Lorei's tactful interference had smothered her mother's fury, allowing Leudora to keep Adeona away from the negotiations. Leudora ambled toward a long white window, when loud steps disturbed her thoughts.

Calimachi appeared in the entrance of the main library with a polite smile plastered on his face, almost ready to kiss Leudora's hand. Leudora backed away, avoiding physical contact.

"I have returned," her tone was most formal. Calimachi smiled: she wondered if he had finally decided if he wanted to strangle or to embrace her. He could never choose between these two options.

"Lorei told me everything!" Calimachi's sweet voice poisoned Leudora's ears. Calimachi asked her to follow him, telling her how her presence could guarantee the success of these negotiations. She believed him: a tame monster, a destructive bomb on a short fuse - she was a fine reminder to their enemies. Could she tear them to pieces given a chance? Probably not. But she surely would have left them shattered. And they understood that much. Calimachi kept babbling about the upcoming negotiations and the matter-shifters. He spat nonsense, and Leudora listened, trying to separate the grains of truth from their empty shells. Calimachi mentioned a strange foreigner whom Despina Asenova had brought to Bucharest, Lenar's crumbling marriage, Vajk Kolosy's unusual silence, Magister Lipót Kovács's death in Greece in the service of the Alka.

Leudora spent a whole week in the Fasma Sanctuary, carefully assessing the news and trying to predict her opponents' actions. The new Councilors were elected with a weak-minded Lovren taking the place of Predrag Galbur. Unexpectedly, Despina Asenova's protegee occupied one of the Council seats with Kira Rankova's endorsement. While everyone kept guessing just how much influence the Bulgarian Sparrow truly had, Leudora wondered what that Korean with no connections in Eastern Europe could have offered to the non-Psychics. Was he their token matter-shifter? Kira Rankova, Antal Varga and Constandache all kept their places, rendering the victory of the gravity-switchers almost useless. They received the territories, but they could not agree on a man more capable than Lovren to represent them. Leudora watched the setup from the shadows, biding her time: the further she remained from the political scene for now, the more her terrifying reputation grew.

As Leudora expected, most light-benders adhered to the same tactics. The ever-present Arta Rinari stayed conveniently by Lovren's side, whispering into the ears of both Constandache and Varga. In the end, nobody but Kira Rankova and Arta Rinari seemed to have any real power in their hands: Leudora could not expect anything less from the Albanian spymaster and the Russian grey eminence. "What is the Serpent's role in all this?" she wondered, knowing well both women were terrified of him.

To Leudora's disappointment, the Alkari only appeared in Bucharest at the start of the negotiations. She saw Dragomir Drašković, Magister Kosar and Grand Magister Blažetin in the crowd filling the Fasma Sanctuary, watching the procession from the balcony of the main hall and confining every small detail to memory. Briefly, her charcoal eyes met Dragomir's icy stare and she looked away, catching a faint shadow of a smirk on his lips. Leudora asked herself if it was his impending promotion or his inevitable success that she found most dangerous.

She had heard about Magister Kovács's death from Calimachi: the Hungarian Alkar had died from severe burns during an ambush organized by Kostadin Gurov a couple of weeks ago. The news could only mean one thing, that the new Magister would be the one to secure peace. Who else but the deadly Serpent was fit for the job? Everyone in the Fasma understood that much, and Leudora questioned her previous hesitation to kill the man. Writhing like a tiny lizard in the thickening crowd, Veselina Gurova sneaked behind her, tugging at Leudora's sleeve and leaning over the balustrade. The balcony granted them an impeccable view, bringing every single Offcast into focus.

"They say even the Grand Magister himself is terrified of the Dalmatian Serpent," Veselina Gurova whispered to Leudora. Leudora lifted an eyebrow, remaining perfectly still. Gurova's face darkened, making Leudora's heart sink. When she turned on her heel, she saw Ferenc Szemere standing at the column of sparkling marble behind her, looking frayed to the point of collapsing. He drew closer but refused to join her and Veselina at the balustrade. Leudora was thankful that he allowed them to keep their distance. At that moment, she could not allow a time-master to glean anything from her.

"Leudora," Szemere's voice was quiet and cautious, "We should not ignore the Serpent's successes. If he takes control over the Alka, no Council will stop him. He won't need politicians to spread his deadly inventions."

"I know, Ferenc," Leudora closed her eyes, sighing.

"Three weeks ago, Blažetin ordered him to save the captured Alkari. The odds were not in his favor."

"Ten to one?"

"Twenty to one."

Leudora suppressed a twitch of an eyebrow, leaning in closer. His beautiful face was, for the first time, whiter than hers.

"Did he poison them?"

"He used bombs that tore the Veil apart, making everyone inside suffocate," he paused, "The Veil did regenerate, but seventy Offcasts died on that day. Your uncle claims that he has even deadlier artifacts in store. We desperately need this treaty. Otherwise we won't survive."

"The Serpent is a chemist," Leudora uttered quietly, "I don't think it was those bombs that killed seventy people, but their negligence. They knew what he could do and ignored the threat."

Szemere shook his head.

"There should never be a scientist without a moral compass."

He wanted to add something, but froze in his place, his eyes blank and wide. When Szemere pulled at her sleeve, she saw smoldering anger crease his beautiful features.

"Leave now! Now!"

She hesitated: what was it that Ferenc had seen exactly? Leudora prepared to retreat to the furthest corner of the loggia, but a strange smell stopped her. She could not describe the nagging feeling that had suddenly overwhelmed her senses. She tasted bitter iron on her tongue and heard the Veil's air whoosh in her ears. Leudora's body writhed into unexpected contortions until Veselina pulled her down. All sounds died. Flashing laser bolts appeared out of thin air, almost reaching Leudora. She rolled on the floor barely avoiding the blasts.

In the wave of blinding light, she discerned a small metal box attached to the columns that targeted her. Leudora struck electricity and lunged to the side, ignoring the confused shouts rising from the crowd. She squinted and lifted her hands above her head, preparing to deflect the blows and hoping she would not kill half of the delegation in the process. Then a dark figure eclipsed the light, hovering over the public and squirming in the air.